BIOB3100 Transfusion Medicine and Medical Immunology Course description

Biomedical laboratory scientists play a key role in transfusion medicine. They are responsible for ensuring that safe and correct blood products reach the patients at the right time. Work at a blood bank requires a good understanding of immunology, genetics and cell membrane chemistry, as well as the physiology and function of blood cells. Topics included in the course are how to select and collect blood from donors, production of blood components, blood typing, i dentification of antibodies, compatibility testing and hemotherapy.

Biomedical laboratory scientists also perform important tasks relating to medical immunology, as well as organ transplantation and stem cell treatment. The biomedical laboratory scientist must have a good understanding of this part of immunology in order to perform the laboratory investigations that are necessary to make diagnoses in medical immunology and before transplantation from a donor to a patient.

• Passed first and second year or equivalent of the Bachelor’s Programme in Biomedical Laboratory Sciences, or 
• Admitted to the Complementary Education in Biomedical Laboratory Science 

After completing the course, the student is expected to have achieved the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence: 

Knowledge 

The student

• can describe how blood banks produce, control and store blood products such as erythrocyte concentraeste, thrombocyte concentrates and plasma
• can describe how different blood products are used in the treatment of patients
• can describe which blood type systems, blood types and blood type antibodies are important in connection with transfusions, and in relation to hematological diseases in newborns
• can describe the principles of basic blood type serology laboratory investigations
• can describe causal mechanisms of diseases in babies and newborns due to blood type antibodies and thrombocyte antibodies
• can describe complications that can arise following transfusion, transplantation and stem cell treatment
• can describe causal mechanisms relating to hemolytic transfusion reactions
• can explain the principles of different immunological methods and describing the various methods’ areas of use, possibilities and limitations
• can explain how relevant methods and analyses can be quality assured
• is familiar with laboratory analyses conducted in connection with transplantation and stem cell treatment
• is familiar with the laws and regulations that regulate the blood banks in Norway

Skills 

The student 

• can gather information about who can be a blood donor in Norway and how donors are selected in the blood bank
• can select and take blood from a donor under supervision
• masters basic blood type serology laboratory investigations and can assess the significance of the analysis results
• can conduct and quality assure different immunological methods and assess any sources of errors related to these

General competence

The student

• can identify and discuss ethical issues in the field of transfusion medicine and medical immunology
• can care for, respect and cooperate with fellow students, colleagues and patients/blood donors regardless of their ethnic, religious and cultural background

The course consists of the following subject areas, specified below as the number of credits:

• Work in blood bank, 3.5 credits
• Blood type serology, 4.5 credits
• Medical immunology with transplantation immunology

Work and teaching methods include lectures, assignments and laboratory work in blood type serology, immune hematology, medical immunology and transplantation immunology. The course includes four days’ external practical training at a blood bank. The students create a digital story about the practical training week after its conclusion.

Digital learning resources are made available for students before the laboratory teaching. The time in the laboratory is therefore generally not used to demonstrate how to solve the assignments.

The following required coursework must be approved before the student can take the exam:

• a minimum of 90 per cent attendance in laboratory teaching
• a minimum of 90 per cent attendance in external practical training at a blood bank
• a minimum of 80 per cent attendance in scheduled group work
• individual digital story from the practical training in the blood bank, approx. duration 5 minutes

Supervised individual written exam, 4 hours

Handed out antigram and pen/pencil.

A-F.

All exam papers are assessed by two examiners. A minimum of twenty per cent of the exam papers will be assessed by an external examiner. The external examiner’s assessment shall benefit all students.

8.5 credits overlap with the course BIO3100 Transfusion and Transplantation